Cavities

When Mikey had cavities filled, I let the dentist give him ‘laughing gas’ to calm him down for a few minutes before he started.  We had already built up Mikey’s comfort level for cleanings, but cavities are trickier and the drill would much more dangerous if Mikey got his hands free and hit the dentist’s hand.  We needed him to be calm.  

This language mirrors what I said to Michael throughout the appointment. “Mikey you’re doing great. You’re being so brave. What a good job you’re doing.” You get the idea.  I spoke in this calm but encouraging voice through the whole procedure.  Mikey did not need Novocain for this visit. The cavity was not deep, so we went ahead. It was actually a very good one to have done in the office because it was extremely fast.

If safety is a concern for your child, you can get cavities filled by your dentist or one of their colleagues at the hospital under general anesthesia.  We did that for Mikey’s first fillings because there were multiple and one was in between the teeth (Mikey did not used to tolerate flossing well, but he is better now).

For more on how we built up a tolerance for dental visits, click the link below.